Koç University reveals the "Curious Case of Çatalhöyük"

Koç University's Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED) has opened the exhibition "The Curious Case of Çatalhöyük," celebrating the 25th excavation season of the Çatalhöyük Research Project.

The exhibition narrates the reflexive methods of the excavations from the initial phase when the trowel touches the soil to the documentation of the finds and from laboratory analysis to the transfer of information.

It sheds light on the work of the research team of international specialists and elucidates the various stages of an excavation project. Although field excavation remains a primary form of investigation in Çatalhöyük, digital, experimental and visual reconstruction methods are increasingly employed to aid research and interpretation.

This legacy is reflected in exhibition displays with 3D printed replicas of selected finds as well as laser-scanned overviews of the mounds. A VR project presents an immersive recreation of the Çatalhöyük settlement.

Equipped with VR headsets, visitors will be transported back into a Çatalhöyük building to observe what life was like back then.

This contemporary approach will be followed by incorporative artistic interventions to underline how the site has been subject to various works of art and offers new perspectives to understand life in Çatalhöyük. 

Archaeologists rather than artifacts

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency, the curator of the exhibition, Duygu Tarkan, said excavations will end in Çatalhöyük this year and only seven percent of the region has been excavated in 25 years.

"The goal of the exhibition is to reveal the methodology of the Çatalhöyük Research Project, its archaeologists and working methods. We wanted to show...